FourBridges Capital announced the acquisition of Chattanooga-based Dixie Labels and Systems by Evergreene Manufacturing, a Birmingham holding company with operations in the label, decal and tag segments of the printing industry. Other companies operating on the Evergreene platform are ALG Labels + Graphics and MidSouth Design.
Owner-operators Rusty Baxley and Joe Buckley created the company in 1991 through the merger of Dixie Ticket and Label and S&R Labels. Under their leadership, Dixie Labels and Systems has grown to be a valued provider of label and tag solutions to many customers and has built a particularly strong presence in the rug and flooring sector. Going forward, Dixie Labels will continue normal operations in Chattanooga as a standalone company. Mr. Buckley will remain with Dixie as the general manager.
“Rusty and I are excited about the affiliation with Evergreene and the additional resources they can provide to the company,” said Mr. Buckley. “We were looking to partner with a larger entity and were pleased with the number of strategic and private equity backed parties FourBridges brought to us as potential buyers. We were not familiar with the complexities and nuances of closing a transaction that met our objectives, and we needed FourBridges to quarterback us through the process.”
“It’s always gratifying to see a deal close that’s a ‘win’ for all parties,” said Andy Stockett, managing director at FourBridges. “Most of our clients are not just operators, but founders who have grown their businesses with a lot of blood, sweat and tears. We enjoyed structuring and negotiating the deal for Rusty and Joe and look forward to Dixie’s continued success.”
“I believe Dixie Labels is an outstanding addition to ALG and MidSouth under the Evergreene umbrella,” said David Erhardt, CEO of Evergreene. “We share common cultures centered on providing superior products and services, with an intense focus on customer service. By learning from each other and exploring overall best practices across the 3-company platform, we can become a more significant force in the marketplace. Over time, this will translate to greater company growth and enhanced career opportunities for our employees.”
The FourBridges team of Andy Stockett and Andrew Allred acted as exclusive financial advisors to Dixie Labels while Doug Elkins, Jim Haley and Merrill Nelson of Miller and Martin PLLC provided legal counsel. Greg Curran of Maynard Cooper in Birmingham provided legal advice to Evergreene.